Of regional interest, The Pampa News has published an interesting story about Peter Gray, for whom Gray County in West Texas is named. Gray was a lawyer in Houston in 1847, when he agreed to take the case of Emeline, a freed black woman who had been forced into slavery.

This year the outdoor musical TEXAS, performed each summer in the Palo Duro Canyon near Canyon, Texas, celebrated its 50th anniversary. The musical held a reunion last week, which drew almost 500 alumni from the musical’s long and storied history.

Kansas officials have decided against participating in the Excellence in Mental Health Act, a federal initiative that could have generated millions of dollars for behavioral health programs throughout the state.

There's a new weed at my place that has been making an appearance the last couple of years and shows no sign of leaving. It's a true bad boy of the garden, and it's called nutsedge, though some plant people commonly call it nutgrass. But be warned, it's not a grass but a true sedge which can replicate itself by segments, roots, seeds, or nut-shaped underground tubers. This week we'll try to get a handle on how to handle it, but be forewarned that it's a tough nut to crack!

Looking for something fun to do this summer? Why not grab a camera and go hunting for Colorado’s forgotten past? The website ghosttowns.com has a Colorado section, with helpful interactive maps, where you can learn about towns like Tuttle, in Kit Carson County, which was a US Post Office for the Pony Express, or Boggsville in Bent County, which was the final home of Kit Carson, or Chivington in Kiowa County, where the old dilapidated schoolhouse still stands out on the open plains.

Three water managers in Colorado have stated that the state might have enough water to sustain it in the future, despite dwindling resources, climate change, and a growing population. However, these experts stressed that the state MUST be smart about its water and use it wisely, reports Colorado Public Radio. Colorado’s first state water plan, which is available now for viewing, will be finalized in December.

Here’s a quiz: the nation’s most inland seaport exists in what state? There are pretty good odds you didn’t guess Oklahoma, but in fact the Port of Catoosa handles two and a half million tons of wheat, fertilizer, steel, and manufacturing goods each year.

From outside of Tulsa, these resources head down the Verdigris River, to the Arkansas River, then east to the Mississippi and onward to Pittsburgh and Chicago. From there, these goods can move up through the great lakes to New York, Europe, or anywhere in the world.

For decades, Kansas farmers have relied on an ancient underground reservoir to provide water for their crops. But now the aquifer is drying up, reports The Wichita Eagle. Most farmers in Kansas are already feeling the effects of the depleted Ogallala aquifer. For some farmers, the energy bills for pumping water are costing more than the leases paid on the land itself. Water from the aquifer has gone down as much as 200 feet in some areas, doubling what it costs to pump it.